Geologica : Brigid O'Hanrahan at Shibumi Gallery

An interview by Susan Cummins for the Art Jewelry Forum

28 June 2012
 

April Higashi is a jeweler who opened a lovely intimate gallery called Shibumi in Berkeley, California, a number of years ago. I know her to be industrious and thoughtful, which is reflected in the work she does as well in how she has structured her life and her gallery. She is lots of fun, a woman of many talents and has a good time making things work in her life. At the moment she is having a show called Geologica by Brigid O’Hanrahan, who works in both porcelain and metal and often combines the two in her jewelry. Her sensitive rings and brooches give you a hint of her shy nature.
Susan Cummins: I know we have worked together in the past, but please refresh my memory about how you got to be the owner of a jewelry gallery.
April Higashi: I’ve been making jewelry for twenty years. Even in the beginning when I was first starting to make jewelry, I always thought about how it would be shown, grouped together or how it could be worn. When I worked at your gallery (Susan Cummins Gallery, Mill Valley, California) you instilled in me the importance of thought, idea and craftsmanship in each piece. While there, I realized how much I enjoyed aesthetically arranging and grouping the work. I also realized during that time how much I liked working directly with clients. So I knew I would enjoy curating a gallery. When my husband and I were looking to buy a house we found a building that was zoned for partial commercial use. The space was large enough to have both a workshop/studio and a gallery on the bottom floor. With this set up I felt I could continue to be a jewelry maker as well as take on a new role as curator and gallery owner. Originally I was thinking I would only do the gallery part-time. The reality, however, is that I have ended up creating two full-time jobs for myself. Fortunately I am a good delegator and so I have also ‘curated’ an amazing creative team to help me.
Is it just a jewelry gallery or do you show other things as well?
April Higashi: The focus of the gallery is contemporary art jewelry with some three-dimensional work. My husband is a sculptor and we show his work as well as work by other sculptors. I also show a few select clothing designers whose work is one-off or limited quantities and who come from a more hands-on background in textiles. I think it’s interesting to try to get people who wear artful clothing to wear artful jewelry. The link is actually not obvious to most of my clients, which surprised me. Occasionally I do show paintings and flat or two-dimensional art, but it is usually to compliment the aesthetic and feeling of one of the jewelry shows.
How is it working for you to have your home, studio and gallery in one place?
April Higashi: I would say that we are the true example of integrating LIFE + WORK. We have a two year old and the only way I could do as much as I do and be a mother is because he is just a floor away from it all. So mostly I like it. But there are days that I want to get away from it. For that, I travel.

In 2009, while I was pregnant, I was hoping to refresh my vision of the gallery before I had my baby. I went to the American Craft Council conference, Creating A New Craft Culture. Elissa Author shared many examples of the 1960s studio artist movement and quite a few of those artists were from California and the West. What struck me was that the artists of that era were committed to their artwork and studio practices from the perspective of a lifestyle. Which doesn’t really seem to be the case anymore. I like to think about George Nakashima and his commitment to this lifestyle. His life revolved around making his work and there are photos of his son sitting at one of his tables doing his homework right alongside him. I also really like that my son, Ando, is being raised around all this making and thinking it’s normal. He already loves sitting at the goldsmith bench and pretends to work away. The other day he left an intertwined mound of hammers on the floor in the studio and said, ‘Mama don’t touch, Ando’s sculpture.’
Often the integration of life and work seems to continue more out of necessity than choice. I have to devote time to making new pieces and evolving as an artist in order to make a living. But I am happy to be reminded that it is a choice I’ve made and the lifestyle I have chosen.
 

What are the criteria you use to find artists work for the gallery?
April Higashi: I find artists to show at Shibumi Gallery through both my working and social relationships. Usually we meet at shows or because I’m so immersed in the art jewelry world our paths will inevitably cross at some point. On occasion I see a piece of work that makes me track down an artist.
I tend to choose work by jewelers who I feel are both artists and visionaries. They are usually professional, mid-career artists who are committed to making and selling work but have also have never given up on their own creative vision. Because my life and work are so integrated it is not surprising that when I like an artist’s work I usually also like the person and we often become friends.
It’s important for me to represent people I believe in and whose perspective I respect. I show around 40 artists and I have been told that there is an overlapping aesthetic among the artists I show. It is also important to me that they are craftspeople and makers, not just designers who work on the computer or paper. I like artists who pull ideas from the depths of themselves and don’t just follow trends. To me this often ensures that their work will continue evolving in new and interesting directions.
Who are your clients?
April Higashi: My clients are artistically minded, usually non-traditional, critical thinkers, often leading an ‘individualistic’ lifestyle. They are people who value work that is thoughtfully crafted, beautiful and has been created with an artistic vision. Generally my clients are people in their 30s to 50s with a career in the world of art and design or social services and humanities. If they are older they are people I would describe as ‘ageless,’ meaning you would often guess them to be much younger because of their spirit and attitude. They seek out beautiful or unique pieces not to impress others but because they have a personal affinity with the piece. And in most cases my clients are people I would enjoy seeing or being around outside of the gallery.
Do you feel that the field of art jewelry has established a market place or do you thing we should take Garth Clark’s advise and hitch our wagon to design?
April Higashi: That is a hard question. I feel like how we view ourselves and our work is what creates a market. Although I probably say this because I don’t want to give up on an artful jewelry approach and become a commercial jeweler. I do think, Susan, you’ve done a lot for the art jewelry world. And working with you definitely inspired my perspective.

In saying that I want to show ‘contemporary art jewelry,’ I don’t mean I want to be linked to the fine art world. I think jewelers who make work that they consider ‘fine art’ should make sculpture. And I also believe it’s a good idea to move the image of art jewelry away from the ‘wearable art’ movement. To me jewelry should be artful, wearable and aesthetically appealing. I prefer the idea of art jewelry being linked to the ‘applied arts’ movement.
As to Garth’s suggestion that we give up and hitch craft to design, I disagree. I don’t think we should be linked with designers who don’t come from a background of ‘making’ or of craftsmanship. I think there is often a very big difference between ‘makers’ and designers.
But ultimately what it comes down to for me is this: there are few great artists and many mediocre artists and that is where I draw the line with my gallery. I’m looking for fine art, craft and design. And I’m looking for quality, dedication and a creative vision. Many artists have some or even most of these qualities, but very few have all of these qualities.
Thank you, April. Now I am going to ask some questions of Brigid  O’Hanrahan, whose show Geologica is currently on show in the gallery. Can you tell me how you became a jeweler?
Brigid O'Hanrahan: I was at San Francisco State (a chemistry major) and I started making earrings in the form of electron clouds, made from wire and beads. I sold my first earrings at Nannys, a great jewelry store on lower Grant. Later I met Sammy Gee, who had a jewelry shop on upper Grant and he showed me how to work with lost wax and casting. When I moved to Los Angeles, I started taking metals classes at Cal State Northridge and completed a masters in metals (both jewelry and objects) with Arline Fisch at San Diego State.

You were a teacher for many years at Millersville University in Pennsylvania. When did you retire and move to California? How are you doing there?
Brigid O'Hanrahan: In retrospect I wouldn't recommend two major changes at the same time – it was overwhelming! I'm glad to be back, but miss my dear friends in Philadelphia and the ease of getting around to see people and events.
Do you miss teaching? What was your favorite assignment?   
Brigid O'Hanrahan: I loved teaching metals, especially beginning classes, but after teaching almost 30 years I was ready to let someone else bring their ideas to the students. At this point in my life I want to focus on my own work.
My favorite assignment was the first one. It was to saw out something no larger than 2 x 3 inches in any direction that 'looked right' without drawing on the metal. They were to make it into a pin or key-chain ornament using sawing, filing and soldering and wear it when leaving class – and they were great!
Your work often combines a white-pitted porcelain and gold or silver.   How did you come to use this combination of materials? Are there historical precedents?
Brigid O'Hanrahan: The porcelain pieces have several sources: Chinese bowls that appear to have rice shapes burned out in the firing and then filled with transparent glaze and fired; a friend introducing me to making small cups by hand out of porcelain; and being part of the New Works retreats at Haystack for faculty who have taught there to experiment with new ideas and materials. I can't think of any precedents for using clay as a stone set in gold, but I love the color combination and the ability to have a large stone in a ring that is about shape on the hand.

Rings seem to be your thing. Do you want to discuss a little about how you make them and what you are after with your designs?
Brigid O'Hanrahan: I think of rings as being miniature abstract paintings. They usually are of 18-karat or 22-karat gold which are alloys that will change shape to some extent in response to being worn. So I see the rings as a collaboration between the maker and the wearer. While I do enjoy making rings, they are only part of what gets my attention. I also have a strong interest in making bowls, spoons and small cups, both in metal and in porcelain, all of which are represented in the exhibition at Shibumi. The metal cups started with conversations two friends and I would have at jazz nights at a local club, just casual but fun. I made the cups in sets of two or three in related shapes but with a variation in the sizes in response to the different people. The porcelain cups are related to both conversations between friends and also to the Japanese tea ceremony and the focus on and enjoyment of basic pleasures.
 You titled your show Geologica. Could you explain?      
Brigid O'Hanrahan: The title refers to a group of objects that are based on geological forms. The show consists of jewelry, small sake cups and silver bowls made from porcelain, clay, silver, gold and semiprecious and precious stones. The title suggests (I hope) of or from the earth.
What are you reading currently?
Brigid O'Hanrahan: Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind, informal talks of Zen meditation and practice by Shunryu Suzuki and To The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf.
Wow, pretty heavy reading . . . What is your favorite book on jewelry?     
Brigid O'Hanrahan: If I have to choose one it would be Brooching It Diplomatically: A Tribute to Madeleine K. Albright, a catalogue of the exhibit by that name curated by Helen Drutt in 1998. Madeleine Albright is brilliant in demonstrating how a partnership between a wearer and a piece of jewelry can set the stage for a conversation.
Other books I love are Partytime by Robert Baines, Navajo Spoons by Cindra Kline and Breon O'Casey by Brian Fallon.
Do you go the theater or movies and if so can you recommend a recent one you enjoyed?      
Brigid O'Hanrahan: A movie:  Jiro Dreams of Sushi, I loved it!
You say, ‘I am drawn to the simplicity and beauty of everyday actions, and make objects which shift attention to the activity of use, making the object both functional and ceremonial.’ Can you explain a bit more about how you see the ceremonial and the functional relating?

Brigid O'Hanrahan: This hard for me to explain and relates to my reading about Zen approaches to actions. In the process of learning about working with metal I have been interested in and learned to use lots of processes – photoetching, electroforming, working with lathes, milling machines, computer operated machines – and what I enjoy (maybe value is a better word) the most are hand processes like sawing, filing, soldering, hammering, sanding. I like to make translucent porcelain sake cups (and other things) because I think of the people who will have a conversation while holding them and sipping something – sake, tea, whatever. I want to make opportunities for conversations to happen because I want to have more conversations myself, something I usually feel awkward doing.
Would you say you are shy and that the ceremonial use of jewelry or cups helps you to feel more comfortable having a conversation?
Brigid O'Hanrahan: I'm laughing! Absolutely shy!

The Art Jewelry Forum is a group of supporters, artists, galleries that support and promote contemporary art. Read the article here and find out more about the organization. 

Visual Cadence: Elisa Bongfeldt and Chris Neff at Shibumi Gallery

review by Elka Karl

At first glance, jewelry makers Elisa Bongfeldt and Chris Neff, featured in Shibumi Gallery’s current show, Visual Cadence, share many common factors: extensive use of oxidized silver; a near-obsession with repetition of simple forms, and a surprisingly gender-ambiguous aesthetic. The more compelling story, however, isn’t in the shared qualities of the work, but in how these two artists and their work diverge. 
Berkeley-based Elisa Bongfeldt creates her jewelry pieces using a mix of 22 karat bimetal and sterling silver tubing, resulting in pieces that are decidedly forward-looking, modern, and minimalist in nature.

When Bongfeldt does add stones to her work, her careful selection and placement of the diamonds, sapphires, or pearls she commonly uses creates a distinctive look, such as in her Open Circles with Diamonds Ring, which combines oxidized silver with five 1.5 mm white diamonds. This ring showcases this most feminine of stones in a pared down interpretation of a floral pattern. The minimalist floral, rendered in oxidized silver, creates a handsome juxtaposition with the diminutive polished stones.

About 10 years ago, Bongfeldt began using 22 karat gold bimetal in her work. “It was a more inexpensive way to use gold without making solid gold pieces,” she explains. The contrast between the 22 karat gold bimetal and the oxidized silver possesses an undeniable frisson, adding a compelling element to the collection.

While the majority of jewelry collections target a female audience, Bongfeldt’s pieces are pleasingly gender ambiguous. Bongfeldt admits that she has never favored traditional jewelry, explaining, “I suppose I have never liked overtly feminine jewelry. I'm very interested in other forms of design (such as furniture and lighting), and perhaps not making feminine jewelry reflects that. Or perhaps it's more a love of minimal design than anything else? A bit less embellished...I've always looked at very opulent jewelry more for the structures of the pieces and sculptural qualities.”

Bongfeldt earned a degree in metal arts from CCA, and then established a studio in Berkeley. The accomplished jeweler was invited to the Smithsonian Annual show in 2005 and 2008. When asked about her influences, Bongfeldt cites Norwegian jewelry artist Tone Vigeland as an inspiration, noting “I think what got me about Tone's work was the simpleness of it — easy techniques to master, but done over and over you get these very complex and interesting forms.” This reverence for repeated, complex forms and patterns is perfectly exemplified in Bongfeldt’s current collection by pieces such as her Large Sapphire Stacked Circle Necklace, which boasts 34 1.2 mm blue sapphires set in oxidized silver.

While Elisa Bongfeldt’s jewelry designs are arguably her most defining characteristic as an artist, Oakland-based goldsmith and jeweler Chris Neff has always self identified as a craftsman with a major focus on fabrication. 

Neff began his career while still in high school, apprenticing with a jewelry maker in Cincinatti, Ohio. At San Francisco’s Revere Academy, he studied jewelry fabrication, and over the last two years 85 percent of his work has focused on stone setting. “People come to me with the complicated projects that other people turn down,” Neff notes. “One of the things I really enjoy is being able to reproduce the same bead size in metal and in each stone — if for instance there’s 40 stones, one little slip and you break a stone. There’s very, very little room for error. There’s no room to recover from most mistakes. That’s what appeals to me.” 
In the current show, Neff’s obsession with working with dozens of intricate stones is exemplified in his Quatrefoil Pendant, which is one of his favorite pieces in the show. The piece required extensive fabrication work on the lathe for milling out the arches in the pattern, as well as almost three dozen black rose cut diamonds set into the oxidized silver and 18 karat gold metal.

Nearly all of Neff’s jewelry work is based on a factor of six or a spacing of 15, 30, or 60 degrees. Neff notes that this design is influenced largely by the fact that milling reproduces those angles exactly, with more options present in a factor of six than a factor of four or five. “The angles break down really nicely,” he explains.

Neff’s interest in design has grown in the past two years, spurred in part by the goal to show a small collection and launch a website of his own by the time he turned 30. The thirty-one-year-old Neff, whose fabrication skills are decades beyond his physical age, has accomplished both goals in admirable fashion. 
Unlike Bongfeldt, whose designs favor a more industrial-influenced or overtly modern look, Neff’s designs look back sometimes centuries or more for inspiration. The Globe Ring in the current show was inspired by a 19th century ring; Neff then used modern fabrication techniques to re-create the inspiration piece as crisply and perfectly as possible.

While Bongfeldt’s work showcases a repetition of circle patterns, several of Neff’s pieces incorporate an oxbow pattern, which he first saw in a 1908 Sears catalog illustration. Like many of his patterns, this one is deceptively simple. The curve and taper in the oxbow has to be replicated perfectly, or the entire piece looks unbalanced.

Neff notes that while the oxbow and other simple patterns may not be groundbreaking shapes, “[T]o mill it out that small and to get the curves right and the shapes right is challenging. That’s where I get really nerdy.” 
For Neff, this challenge means that he relies on more analog methods to create his work. Computer programs are much too easy of an option, and he prefers to know — and master — every step of the fabrication process. Neff noted that when he overheard a guest at the show opening hypothesize that one of Neff’s pieces must have been made with CAD, he had to let him know about the backstory on the piece, including the absence of computer-aided design or drafting. For Neff, the design is important in his work, but on equal footing is process. “When I get to my studio and sit down there’s a shift that happens. My everyday life is so quickly paced. I love to put blinders on and slow down.” 

Elisa Bongfeldt and Chris Neff’s show, Visual Cadence, runs through September 30th at Shibumi Gallery.

Sea and Sky: April Higashi and Aondrea Maynard

April Higashi has made her name on her skillful and organic style of enameling. Building layers of color in a painterly fashion she creates small and wearable artworks rooted in a reverence for nature. Conversely, Aondrea Maynard paints large canvases in which she distills moments unseen yet present in the natural world around us. A smart pairing, the show “Sea & Sky” is a look at the evocative ways in which artists become inspired by the natural world and their relationship to it. Each artist, though very different in chosen medium and scale, is working from a deep and intuitive place, attempting to assign materiality to the intangible realm of experience.

                      'Ma' Brooch: painted enamel, diamond slices, 18kyg, oxidized silver

Higashi is currently navigating the challenges of new motherhood, owning and operating a gallery and continuing an art practice of her own. Despite this hectic work environment, her new collection has a sense of peace and stillness. A subtle shift has occurred in her enamels as vibrant patterns spread over the whole surface have been left behind for a more sparse imagery with soft white backgrounds. “Ma” Brooch (painted enamel, oxidized silver, 18k yellow gold, and diamond slices) exhibits a single bare branch, rendered fuzzy as if seen through thick fog. About this new aesthetic Higashi says, “I wanted to arrive at a subtle beauty that gives the viewer a sense of calm. This quiet place is a space that I crave, even if only enjoyed for the smallest moments.” These new enamels are small homages to the awe-inspiring effect of nature. Perhaps by pointing our gaze at artwork instilled with this awe we may be able to steel a moment away from the busy, over-scheduled day to day.

                          'Shiro' Brooch: fossilized coral, black diamonds, 24 & 18k gold

Higashi’s reverence for nature comes through in not only the imagery painted on her enamels but the materials she uses as well. Shiro Brooch (fossilized coral, black diamonds, 24&18k gold) offers the viewer a relic from the past. Embellished very sparingly with a faux branch reproduced from gold and set with black diamonds gives the piece a feeling of elaborate repair. Like many jewelers, Higashi works with precious metals, stones and pearls. Always careful to use only those that are responsible and sustainable, her eye falls on the peculiar. The pearls, stones and other precious materials seen in this show shed light on her special interest in the beauty of imperfection. Those things that nature makes sub-par or irregular, according to market standards, are the very materials that she covets. The asymmetry of a branch of fossilized coral, a domé pearl originally used as a test to make cultured pearls, and raw diamonds mined decades ago to make industrial tools hold the spotlight in this extensive body of new work.

                  Lover, 2011: Oil on wood panel, 22" x 60"

Aondrea Maynard’s paintings are at once beautiful and haunting. Capturing the liminal, she creates a visual language for the moments that happen in between what we might consider regular and documentable events. In many of her paintings, namely Lover (oil on wood), light and color are a strong focus and occupy the canvas with as much weight as line and shape. What looks like puffs of smoke, upward moving steam, and currents of air are rendered as tangible as a full moon or the silhouette of tree tops. A reoccurring shape appears, reminiscent of the end of a cello or violin or perhaps the ubiquitous Acanthus leaf. In Whaling Song, the shape has such a weight and shadow that it becomes animate, a living and breathing being. For the artist it is a shape that feels good to paint and her body has a natural tendency towards it. In this way a language specific to the artists physicality has become part of the visual language of her painting.

      Whaling Song, 2011: Oil on wood panel, 40" x 36"

Challenges of sustaining a successful art practice are present for both artists. In Maynard’s short talk given during the show opening she spoke of the dangers of getting stuck in an aesthetic that sells well. For a painter whose aim is to paint the invisible, she has to try to shelve this looming demand of marketability and get to that deeper place that many artists seek. For Higashi and Maynard continuing a successful studio practice while striving toward their true creative vision is not easy in the midst of life’s daily challenges. In “Sea & Sky” we are offered an unusual comparison of the work of two artists, a jeweler and painter. Similarly inspired, the careers of two women converge at Shibumi Gallery as they exhibit their most recent bodies of work.

For those unable to steal a moment from their day-to-day, visit Shibumi Gallery's Flickr page where you will find April Highashi's jewelry collection, Aondrea Maynard's paintings as well as photos from the opening.

Review by Ahna Adair

April Higashi Jewelry + Aondrea Maynard Paintings 'Sea & Sky'

The 'Sea & Sky' show, an elegant and dreamy pairing of jewelry and paintings, will be up through December 04, 2011.
 

     April Higashi, 'Ma' Brooch, painted enamel, oxidized silver, 18k yellow gold, diamond slices

'Ma' is not something that is created by compositional elements; it is the thing that takes place in the imagination of the human who experiences these elements. It is best described as a consciousness of place, not in the sense of an enclosed three-dimensional entity, but rather the simultaneous awareness of form and non-form deriving from an intensification of vision.

                                    Aondrea Maynard, Midnight Swoon, oil on wood panel

My paintings are a visual dialogue between myself and the natural world, a narrative of my own inner journey and the metaphorical landscapes found there. Nature itself in perfect harmony has always been a powerfully soothing presence in my life, one that inspires my work continuously.

My paintings are portraits of dreams, memories, moments in silence and abstractions all infused with the appreciation and wonder of the beauty of this natural world, its unspoken wisdom and limitless grace.

           April Higashi, Nori Necklace, enamel, pencil, oxidized silver, 1920's steel cut beads

This body of work is more direct, as coral-like branches are rendered to appear as if captured in a mist. The images are painted in layers using graphite, enamel and china paint. They are partially hidden creating an atmosphere of distance that asks the viewer to leave them to exist in their own quiet suspended space.
 

                                     April Higashi + Aondrea Maynard, November 2011

More photos of the show & reception

 Aondrea Maynard Paintings 

Gallery Lulo: April Higashi - New Work

Artists Statement - 
The world of craft is a surreal place after the birth of my son last year. Before that momentous occasion, the space of making held more weight in my life. Now, though it is still important to me, it is met with a feeling of lightness. I am sometimes haunted by how to merge motherhood with making and my daily efforts to create new work are approached through a foggy veil. The many days and weeks spent creating these pieces where dedicated to unearthing a complexity from a chaos of new ideas that have occupied my mind and my studio. Hopefully when resolved and finished the works retain a mysterious presence and offer a space for peace and stillness. The enamels and fossilized coral pieces in this group capture this feeling of solace.

The abstract imagery painted in my enamels in the past emerged after snorkeling in Hawaii above the natural coral reefs. Swimming above the majestic beauty, I did not want to directly copy what I saw but instead convey the feelings experienced as I looked at the forms and moved through the water. This group of work is more direct, as coral-like branches are rendered to appear as if captured in a mist. The images are painted in layers using graphite, enamel and china paint. They are partially hidden creating an atmosphere of distance that asks the viewer to leave them to exist in their own quiet suspended space. I have accented these pieces with prong set diamond slice fragments, black diamonds and rose cut moonstones. The beads are French steel cut beads from the 1930's that add an eccentricity rooted in fashionable jewelry of this era. I have used bead setting as a reference to this antique jewelry, yet left surfaces smooth and sculptural.

This is a time for more awareness of our resources and greater efforts in recycling these objects of beauty. Reflecting my appreciation for nature, the pearls, coral, moonstones and diamonds in this group were bought from sustainable sources. The pearls are special fresh water American pearls harvested from the Tennessee River mostly from mussels. This second generation family business has spent over 50 years collecting pearls from our rivers and lakes. The dome pearls were originally used as a test for making cultured pearls. I have bought the remainder of this company's supply of these pearls. The companies that harvest the coral take only dead coral that is no longer feeding other species of sea life. The brilliant cut diamonds were bought from older estate jewelry. As a jewelry maker l bring my interpretation with the hope that there will always be a desire for a new perspective both in fashion and art.

The show is up at Gallery Lulo through 7/30/11. The new work will be shown at Shibumi Gallery opening November 5th, 2011 with an extension of this series. This will be the first solo show at Shibumi of April's work since she opened Shibumi in 2005.